


Sun and Sand

by magicianlogician12



Series: Heart of Steel [12]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/F, Modern AU, Tarnished and Tempered AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7458334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianlogician12/pseuds/magicianlogician12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On one of Tabi's rare days off, she and Haylen take a beach trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sun and Sand

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you reading these stories here follow me on tumblr, you'll know that I have a modern AU for Tabitha and Haylen, the Tarnished and Tempered AU, which sadly has not much writing at the moment. Either way, this will be the first of a couple I intend to put here--they'll all be tagged with the AU tag.

It was brutally hot outside.

Tabi had warned Haylen before they left that she’d want to bring the coolest clothing possible for this–even this far up north, summer temperatures would skyrocket, even more so at the coast. They were only going for a day–Tabi’s workplaces made it difficult to take longer breaks than that–but Haylen knew Tabi was determined for them to have a good time.

She sat in the driver’s side of her old sedan, aviator sunglasses resting on her nose, one hand on the steering wheel and the other linked with Haylen’s fingers. This was the first trip they’d taken together, and Haylen wouldn’t have thought Tabi was nervous at all but for the tightness of her grip.

Tabi’s air conditioning in her sedan was adequate, but the two of them had long since given up on staying cool without rolling down the windows. One side of Tabi’s undercut flopped over her head, the other side shaved and recently trimmed. Ginger strands tucked behind her ear never stayed that way for long, though. Haylen came equipped with a hat and sunglasses of her own, the swimsuit she wore underneath shorts and an old t-shirt, and a veritable myriad of sunscreen, kept with Tabi’s things.

The only downside to keeping the windows down was that it let some of the oppressive heat inside along with the rushing breeze. Tabi had dabbed a little sunscreen on her nose and cheeks before they even left, and now Haylen knew why–she could feel where her own nose was going to be red before the end of the day.

“So you’ve been here before?” Haylen struck up conversation when she could see Tabi getting more anxious.

“Once a year, every summer, with my family.” Tabi grinned and looked at Haylen for a moment before returning her attention to the road. “When we were still on civil terms, at least. This is the first time I’ve been with someone besides my parents.”

“I never took many beach trips.” Haylen commented, watching the land nearby turn into flat, grassy fields. They had to be getting close. “Maybe once, when I was too young to remember it.”

“Everyone should have a good beach trip at some point.” Tabi remarked. “If you can get used to the sand.”

Haylen peered into the backseat, checking on their supplies. It seemed like a lot for a one-day beach trip, but Tabi had insisted it was all necessary. Haylen supposed she knew best–she’d definitely been here more. “Are we getting close?”

“Yeah, in about a half hour I expect we’ll be there.” Tabi let go of Haylen’s hand briefly to flip through radio channels. “Once I start to lose the familiar radio stations, I know we’re getting there.”

About a half hour later, like Tabi said, they began to lose the usual radio stations, and Tabi shut off the radio altogether, traveling in peaceful silence for another fifteen minutes before they came upon a section of grass that had clearly seen much use for parking. Tabi carefully navigated her sedan onto a particularly flat patch, then got out.

Haylen made a move to grab their bags, but Tabi took her hand first. “We can come back for our things.” she said by way of explanation. “You should get the full scope of it when you’re not carrying twenty pounds of beach gear.”

Tabi herself was outfitted for a beach trip much like Haylen was, but instead of an old t-shirt, Tabi had opted for one of her workout shirts, one she said she didn’t mind if it got soaked with seawater. She pulled more strands of hair behind her ear as she pulled Haylen over the rise.

The beach itself was light yellow sand, almost white except for the sunlight turning it gold. Beyond, the water wasn’t quite as blue as Haylen had been expecting–this close to the shore, at least–but waves lapped against the shore at some intervals, and crashed against it at others. It seemed volatile, but not quite dangerous.

“ _Now_ we can go get our stuff.” Tabi said, jogging back down the hill to her car. Haylen stayed for a moment longer, watching the view, before following.

By now, the sun was high in the sky, and the summer heat was in full swing. They pitched an umbrella far enough away from the shore that Tabi declared it _probably_ wouldn’t be taken away by the tide. Haylen threw towels out while Tabi struggled out of her shirt. Tossing her sunglasses onto the nearest towel, Tabi rolled her shoulders and turned with a grin. “Ready to go in?”

Haylen eyed the water with a small amount of trepidation. Was it just her, or were the waves a bit bigger than they’d been earlier? “Maybe we wait for the water to go down?” she suggested.

Tabi arched one brow, but she was still smiling. “Want me to carry you in?”

Haylen let out a breath. “Would you?”

In response, Tabi knelt down, fingers braced in the sand. Haylen wrapped her arms around Tabi’s neck, and the taller woman’s hands supported her knees as she rose to her feet with a faint sound of effort. Haylen had been piggyback carried like this by Tabi before, more than a few times, but this was different. They somehow felt closer together. Haylen knew it was impossible–this was no different than the times they’d done this before, but maybe it was something about the beach itself.

Haylen’s breathing shortened a fraction as Tabi began to wade confidently into the waves with Haylen on her back. The sound alone was enough to make Haylen sure Tabi would get knocked off balance, but she never did.

“Relax.” Tabi said. “I can feel you tensing up. I promise I won’t fall. And I won’t drop you.”

Haylen forced the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding out, and with conscious effort, released the tension from her body. Tabi paused, and Haylen leaned forward slightly, looking out over the wide, seemingly endless expanse of ocean. “It’s a good view, isn’t it?”

“You should see it at sunset.” Tabi replied. “It lights up like a fire.”

The wistful tone in Tabi’s voice made Haylen turn as far as she could to see Tabi’s face–which wasn’t much. “When was the last time you came out here?”

“Years.” Tabi got an absentminded tone. “Not since I moved out. Just…haven’t had the time. Plus it’s hard to take a vacation when you work two jobs.” she seemed lost in thought for a moment before her shoulders straightened and she said, “I’m going to go further in. Are you all right?”

“Just fine.” Haylen replied, tightening her grip around Tabi’s neck just slightly.

As Tabi took a few steps deeper, water began to slosh over Haylen’s feet. She lowered them slightly, dipping the toes into the cooler water. It was a relief after being cooped up in Tabi’s car for a few hours, and the heat didn’t feel nearly as potent.

When Tabi was up to her ribcage in water, she stopped, and Haylen only had a mischievous grin’s warning before Tabi plunged up to her neck in the ocean, treading water to stay afloat. Haylen yelped and panicked for a split second before getting her bearings, and tightened her grip around Tabi’s neck even more. “You _planned_ that.” she said, not _quite_ an accusation.

Tabi laughed, and Haylen smiled.

* * *

For some time, they languished in the water, using the cool waves as relief from the vicious sunlight. Haylen could see where Tabi’s nose and cheeks would be red, despite her best efforts, and Haylen could feel the burning on her own face where she knew she hadn’t been diligent enough with her sunscreen.

Despite the fact Haylen had long gotten over her fear of the boundless water, she remained holding on to Tabi. Letting go for a moment to tread water herself had made the small space between them seem greater than it should’ve, and so Haylen had migrated back. She blamed the ocean, infinite as it seemed, for distorting her perception.

Eventually, Tabi sighed. “I think my limitless ability to tread water isn’t quite as limitless as I remembered.”

“Getting tired?” Haylen leaned her head against Tabi’s.

“Sort of.” she admitted. “But there’s something I want to show you before we head back.”

Curiosity piqued, Tabi swam until her feet could touch the bottom again, and then Haylen jumped down from Tabi’s back, holding her hand instead as they walked farther up the beach, making a stop by their umbrella to grab jackets, at Tabi’s recommendation. Haylen didn’t know what they’d possibly need jackets for in this weather, but was willing to see what Tabi had in mind.

Farther down the beach, Haylen saw an outcropping of rock. Tabi let go of Haylen’s hand to carefully step on a ledge, slick with seawater, and Haylen watched. “Is that safe?”

“Safe enough.” Tabi glanced back with a slight smile. “Come on, I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Haylen followed Tabi’s movements easily enough, keeping a close eye on where she put her feet, and suddenly Tabi turned a corner, and disappeared. Haylen blinked, then turned her head around the same corner. Instead of another section of beach, though, Haylen found herself looking into a cave.

Tabi peered out, now clad in an old hoodie. When Haylen stepped inside, she felt the chill air and followed suit. “What is this?”

“A cave I found several years ago. Wasn’t sure I’d remember where it was.” Tabi admitted. “But I thought I had a pretty good idea.” she took Haylen’s hand, and held a flashlight in her opposite one, shining its beam farther down. Haylen still watched her steps as Tabi led them down another stone ledge, but much more stable than the one they’d taken to get in.

Tabi let go of Haylen’s hand again and used both hands to push herself up one final ledge, setting her flashlight down and holding her hands out to help Haylen up. With a jump and a tug from Tabi’s arms, Haylen managed to traverse the obstacle with little difficulty. Tabi sat cross-legged with her flashlight nearby, and Haylen finally turned to see where Tabi had taken them.

It was a view into the ocean far different than the one Haylen had first seen. It looked out over the horizon as the sun began to set, casting shadows over the rock. It wasn’t quite late enough for the sun to turn the fiery colors Tabi described, but it was a gorgeous scene, nonetheless.

“How did you find this?” Haylen finally asked.

“Like I said, I found it several years ago.” Tabi said, rocking back to pull her knees up to her chest. “I got in some argument with my mom–I can’t even remember now what it was about–and I stormed off. I followed the beach for a while until I got here. At first I meant to just go around it, but found out it was a cave, not just a rock.” Tabi glanced in Haylen’s direction. “I never told them about it, and I went back to them once I cooled down, but I found time to come out here at least once whenever we came down here. It’s nice at sunset, but even better with a full moon.” Tabi looked back out over the horizon. “It’s so bright, you can sit out here and read something without a flashlight. No city lights to dull it down.”

“You miss this.” Haylen said quietly. It wasn’t a question.

“‘Course I do.” Tabi stretched out her legs again. “I could spend the rest of my life beside a beach and die happy. But I don’t really have that option.” she turned to Haylen with a weary, somewhat resigned grin. “So I take what I can get.”

Haylen reached for one of Tabi’s hands and laced their fingers together, resting them on the sandy rock beneath. “I’m glad we did this.”

“So am I.” Tabi replied with a slightly wider grin. “Come on, we should get back before it gets too dark for us to climb down. No full moon tonight, after all.”

* * *

The drive back was quiet.

Haylen fell asleep halfway there, leaning the passenger seat back far enough to emulate a flat sleeping surface, legs pulled up to her chest. She’d remarked on how pretty the sunset was, even if it wasn’t by the beach, and then only stayed awake for a few moments more before dozing off. Tabi didn’t mind; driving was something she enjoyed, and even if it’d only been for a day’s trip, where they went was worth it.

Haylen was on summer break from her classes, after all–at least a few weeks to recover before she began her additional coursework to prepare for fall. Tabi had only been able to afford a single day off–today–since summer was one of the busiest seasons at both her jobs.

Someday, though, she’d see they came out here for a proper vacation–there was nothing like a morning run on the beach, after all.

Tabi flicked on the radio, heard the familiar radio stations, and under a new moon and countless stars, followed them home.


End file.
